SPRINGFIELD - Seventy years ago on August 14, Emperor Hirohito accepted the terms of the Potsdam Proclamation effectively ending the four year engagement of the United States of America in World War II. While we formally recognize September 2 as the day the Japanese delegation attended the formal surrender ceremony aboard the USS Missouri in the Tokyo harbor, Senator John Mulroe (D-CHICAGO) has sponsored a resolution that would mark the third Saturday of every August as “Spirit of ’45 Day.” Illinois becomes the second state to recognize this date and mark it as a holiday.

Senator Mulroe released the following statement regarding the resolution:

“The final days of World War II were marked with some incredibly trying times, from the deaths of President Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler to the first military use of nuclear weapons in history. The American people had sacrificed everything in a war that our country had not intended to become involved in. With the passage of this resolution we are able to in some small way honor the men and women who gave their blood, sweat and tears during the brief but arduous time of our military involvement. With the “Spirit of ’45 Day,” Illinoisans are reminded of those sacrifices as we remember and give thanks to the memory and spirit of those times.”

SPRINGFIELD – In response to a growing number of complaints and concerns that Chicago O’Hare International Airport’s noise levels have become unbearable for surrounding communities, State Senator John Mulroe (D-Chicago) has introduced two companion proposals intended to address the issue.

“My district is immediately East of O’Hare with Rosemont and Schiller Park situated right next to the airport, but these aren’t the only communities being affected,” Mulroe said. “It’s become clear to us that the noise problem greatly escalated following the completion of the O’Hare Modernization Program.”

The O’Hare Modernization Act was passed in 2000 with the intention of increasing efficiency and safety of the airport by adding multiple parallel runways to accommodate the greater number of East-West travelers. The number of noise complaints in January 2015 was 39,500, whereas the number of complaints the previous January was 1,357 prior to the opening of a new parallel East-West runway.

Under the new proposals, O’Hare would keep the existing runways intact, including the existing diagonal runways, which allowed air traffic to be more evenly distributed. Currently the diagonal runways are only running at roughly 3 percent capacity. The effect of not using these diagonal runways, was to force 97 percent of the air traffic and noise to communities directly east and west of the airport, resulting in the increased number of noise complaints.

“With these two measures, we are trying to reach a compromise,” Mulroe said. “The airport will continue to work toward its goal of higher efficiency and the people in the surrounding communities would regain some of the peace and quiet that attracted them to these communities initially.”

SB636 passed the Senate by a 52 to 0 vote, while SB637 passed the Senate by a 52 to 0 vote. Both measures will continue to be heard by the House.

SPRINGFIELD – Victims of human trafficking would receive newfound protections under a proposed law sponsored by Senator John Mulroe (D-Chicago) that cleared the Illinois Senate today.

Mulroe’s Senate Bill 1588 would provide victims of sex trafficking with an affirmative defense when charged with prostitution. By using an affirmative defense, the legal ramifications of criminal charges would be defeated by that action.

Under the current law, a person who knowingly performs any sexual act in return for something of value is guilty of prostitution, which holds a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a fine of $2,500.

“Victims of sex trafficking live in a dark and heart-breaking world that often traps them in a terrible cycle, but what’s worse is when our justice system fails them,” said Mulroe. “By allowing for this affirmative defense, these women will get their lives back on track and live healthier and more fulfilling lives, and hopefully serve justice to the real criminals in these cases.”

Janell Wheeler previously testified in the Senate Criminal Law Committee that while she was a victim of human trafficking, her pimp ruptured her eardrum, burned her body and beat her until she suffered broken bones. All the while, this man forced her to sell her body, for which she was arrested and faced criminal charges.

“I want to make sure that we are helping these people, not incarcerating them,” Mulroe said.

The Senate approved the proposal 55 to 0. Mulroe’s legislation now advances to the House.

CHICAGO – During a meeting with an organization dedicated to assisting families with severe mental health concerns as well as family members of individuals receiving care, State Senator John Mulroe (D-Chicago) learned about the services that the families receive and what effect a change in funding would cause to their lives.

The Keystone Alliance is an organization comprising two agencies: Search Inc., which provides full-time living facilities with round-the-clock care for individuals suffering from severe physical and mental disabilities, and Glenkirk, which provides respite care to families caring for loved ones that allows them a window of time each week to take care of other concerns.

“For these families to be facing such uncertainty is incredibly difficult, especially when you consider that they are trying to do the best for their families and ensuring that their loved ones receive the best care when they are unable to give it,” Mulroe said. “I oppose cutting funding to programs like these, because even if they aren’t vital to everyone, they are incredibly vital to those receiving them.”

Under the governor’s proposed fiscal year 2016 budget, these services would see drastic cuts. The cuts would ultimately have the greatest effect on staffing abilities of Search and Glenkirk, which could lead to poorer quality of service and could even cause Keystone Alliance to lose its licensure.

“We need to be able to care for the ones we love,” Mulroe said. “The compassionate thing to do here is also the obvious one: We need to maintain current funding levels at the very least.”

The Senate Appropriations Committee is currently in discussion with the governor’s office regarding next year’s budget.